Barcelona are reportedly considering a swoop for Borussia Monchengladbach defender Matthias Ginter in case Samuel Umtiti leaves the club this summer.
According to a report from Calciomercato’s Daniele Longo, Barcelona have set their sights on Borussia Monchengladbach’s German international defender Matthias Ginter as a replacement for Samuel Umtiti in the upcoming transfer window.
Barcelona are already making a lot of progress in the transfer market. The Catalans have already completed three signings, two of which have bolstered their defence, with Emerson Royal and Eric Garcia arriving from Real Betis and Manchester City, respectively. However, it seems like the Blaugrana are looking at more reinforcements at the back, which is not hard to comprehend.
Three potential destinations for Samuel Umtiti as Barcelona consider summer sale | THT Opinions
Samuel Umtiti, barring his debut season in 2016/17, has had a torrid time at Barcelona due to his recurring knee problems. His compatriot Clement Lenglet also saw a decline in form in the season gone by, leading to question marks over the futures of both the French centre-halves. In fact, there have been reports claiming that Umtiti could well be on his way out this summer, with a return to boyhood club Olympique Lyon being mooted.
In case that does pan out, Barcelona will need to replace the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner, which has now reportedly led them to Borussia Monchengladbach’s Ginter. The 27-year-old has been with the Foals since 2017, having signed after a three-year stint with Borussia Dortmund, whom he had joined from boyhood club SC Freiburg.
A veteran of over 250 Bundesliga appearances in his career, Ginter has developed into one of the more reliable centre-halves in display in the German top-flight. Indeed, the 27-year-old did not miss a single game for Gladbach in the season gone by, starting each of their 46 games in all competitions while also chipping in with a couple of goals.
Ginter, though, is entering the final year of his contract with Gladbach. This has seen him get linked with a move to Premier League recently, with Liverpool and Tottenham said to be interested. And, it now seems like Barcelona are also looking to capitalise on the situation by swooping in for the 39-time capped German international.
It must, however, be noted that Ginter is one of many potential transfer targets for Barcelona, with the likes of Alessio Romagnoli of AC Milan, Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte and Juventus defender Merih Demiral also being linked. Thus, what remains to be seen is whether the Blaugrana decide to act on their reported interest in Ginter or pursue alternate options instead.
